Witch Untold by Debbie Cassidy

Chapter One

“You’re not going,” Anna said firmly.

Conah, Sloane, and I were crammed into the elder witch’s office. My wolf mates had wanted to come with me too, but their alliance with the witches meant they needed an invitation to venture past the treeline and onto Grimswood grounds. The gargoyles had been visible, circling the mansion, keeping watch, when I’d approached a little while ago. If the wolves had crossed the boundary, I had no doubt there would have been an altercation.

We didn’t have time for that, and my mates knew it.

They were waiting at the cabin, though, lending me their strength through the threads that connected us. Tor was a steady thrum that vibrated in my veins, begging for action. Leif was a gentle heat in my blood lending me strength, while Rune was the calm voice of reason settled in the back of my mind. I’d call them once I’d convinced Anna to change her mind.

I wasn’t leaving until I had.

The Sons of Adam had Elijah and Bramble. My friends were in danger, and there was no way I’d allow Anna to wash her hands of them.

I met Anna’s gaze levelly. “I need to go after them.”

I didn’t need her permission, but I did need a location, one she hadn’t divulged yet. She probably thought I’d make the jump as soon as I had the details. She didn’t know me well enough. I wasn’t fucking suicidal…Not today, anyway. Despite the fact I didn’t agree with her call, I respected the chain of command, because to disregard it would completely send the wrong message. We were only strong if we worked together. We were only strong if we trusted each other.

Yeah, ironic coming from me, the solo hunter. But things were different now. The seal had changed everything.

Conah stood to my left dressed in joggers and a cream tee, feet shoved hastily into sneakers, blond hair rumpled from sleep, and Sloane was to my right, somehow managing to make a vest, joggers, and fluffy yellow socks look kickass. Her silver hair was mussed from sleep too, but her electric-blue eyes were sharp and focused. They’d both come as soon as I’d called them, meeting me outside the office within minutes.

“I understand how you feel,” Anna said. “But the Sons of Adam have certain abilities, one of which is to read minds and search memories.”

My gaze flicked to Conah. He had this ability too.

His jaw tightened a fraction, but he didn’t offer up this information to Anna.

“They’ll have surmised that Elijah is important to us,” Anna continued. “They’ll have used Elijah’s memories to learn about us, and they’ll expect us to come for him. If not you, then someone else, someone who might be important to you.”

Because it was me they wanted. “Elijah is important to me.”

She sighed. “I’m sorry, Cora. The answer is no.”

Part of me understood what she was trying to do. She was willing to let Elijah and Bramble rot, die at the hands of these fucking monsters to protect me…No. Not me, the seal. She was protecting the damn seal that kept the big bad locked away.

But it was the wrong move. A short-sighted move.

I pushed my shoulders back. “You can’t keep me here by force, and you know it. I’m here of my free will because I get that my life is important to the seal. I get that my going would be too risky. I can accept that I can’t be the one to go after them, but I won’t accept that you can’t send anyone. After everything Elijah’s done for this coven, if you turn your back on him now, what message will that send? It’ll tell your witches that they’re dispensable. That their lives don’t matter. Trust me, that’s not good for loyalty or morale.”

She looked away, mouth tightening.

“Cora’s right,” Conah said. “Your coven is your family. It’s a team. Turning your back on Elijah will tell them that they’re all expendable. That can’t be the message you want to send.”

“We can go,” Sloane said. “Jessie, Poppy, and I.”

“No,” Anna snapped. “You’re just as important as the anchor. We need you here to keep the revenants under control.” She pressed her palms to the desk and bowed her head, thinking, considering. Finally, she raised her head, expression resolute. “We’ll prepare another patrol for this task. A stealth team. We may not have a weapon to kill the Sons of Adam, but we can gather spells to slow them down or confuse them while we extract our people.” She nodded. “Yes. This might work.” She looked to Sloane. “You’ll pick four of our finest witches. I’ll contact the sisters for a portal.”

I didn’t need to ask why we needed a portal. It was the quickest way there and back. Doing a teleport spell would take too much energy, and then they’d be trapped there until they could recharge and cast a spell to jump back.

Still, portals weren’t easy to come by. “How long?”

“It could take a few days.”

My heart sank at the thought of my friends in the enemy’s grasp for that long. The original vampires could be hurting them, feeding off them. Oh, shit, what if they were already dead? I squeezed my eyes shut to dispel the thought.

“Can’t the sisters expedite your request?” Conah asked Anna.

“A few days is expedited,” Anna replied. “Two portals to and from a location will take time to prepare. I wish there was a quicker way, but—”

“I’ll go.” Jasper appeared by the window, and my heart leapt into my throat.

He was dressed casually in jeans and a knitted sweater that hugged his rounded shoulders and lithe frame. His dark hair was tousled, falling onto his forehead to give him a rakish air. The last time we’d spoken I’d told him I loved him, and he’d told me he had no clue what that was, but he was willing for me to teach him. Then he’d vanished.

But he was here now, his piercing emerald eyes fixed on me with the kind of intensity that made my pulse race.

He pushed away from the window frame and sauntered toward the desk. “I can be there in a blink.”

Anna looked torn. “I don’t know…”

“You don’t trust me, but I don‘t give a shit. I’m not doing this for you.” He tore his gaze from me and fixed it on Anna. “I happen to like Elijah.”

Anna puffed out her cheeks and nodded. “Very well. Sloane, get the witches ready.”

“No,” Jasper said. “I work alone.”

Panic flared in my chest. Jasper was powerful, and now that I’d taken off the amulet, he had free access to cosmos and miasma, which would allow him to maintain a bridge to his power. But he was still only one guy, and as far as we were aware, the Sons of Adam were unkillable.

Lilith had let them live, but I doubted it was because she was feeling benevolent that day. The only explanation was that she couldn’t kill them, and if an ancient, powerful being like Lilith had failed, then…

“No. You can’t do this alone.”

He gave me a whatever look. “Yes, I can.”

“I’ll go with you,” Conah said.

I looked at the reaper in surprise. “You can’t do that.”

Okay, so I sounded like a stuck record.

He arched a blond brow. “Why not?”

Several reasons. “You’re a reaper. A Dominus. You have your own duties. This isn’t your problem.” I ticked them off on my fingers.

He frowned. “Not my problem? How do you figure that, Cora?”

“You don’t even know Elijah.”

Now I sounded lame.

Conah’s mouth tipped up in a half smile. “No, but I know you, and I know how far you’ll go to protect those you care about, so if Elijah and Bramble aren’t brought home safely, you’ll go after them. It’s who you are.”

I wasn’t going to lie by denying it. Besides, he knew me too well.

“And if anything happens to you, the seal will be compromised,” he continued. “The protection of humanity, the preservation of the balance of nature is also a Dominus reaper’s responsibility.”

“Fine,” Jasper said. “You can come.”

I looked from Jasper to Conah, heart beating too fast. Heading into danger wasn’t an issue for me, but sending people I cared about into a lion’s den was a no-no. This was a no-no.

Conah placed a hand on my shoulder. “We’ve got this.”

I looked up into his sapphire eyes, anxiety churning in my stomach. “Promise me that if anything goes wrong, if shit gets hairy, you get your asses out of there.” I looked to Jasper. “I mean it. No heroics.”

“Pfft.” Jasper rolled his eyes. “That’s rich coming from you.”

Yeah, I’d been in some risky situations to save those I loved, but that was different. That was me, and this…This was Jasper, the malevolent entity who had my heart, and Conah, the reaper who’d been a friend to me for almost two years. I couldn’t lose them, but I couldn’t lose Elijah and Bramble either, not if there was a chance to save them. The warlock had been my anchor in this fucked-up witchy world for over a year. He was stoic and bossy and stubborn, but he was my mentor, and I… I cared about him, and Bramble had quickly become a friend. We needed to bring them home.

“I’ll pack you some supplies,” Sloane said. “A few little spells to help you along.”

“I don’t need spells,” Jasper drawled.

“Yeah, J, we know, but Conah might find them useful.”

Jasper shrugged.

“That’s settled, then,” Anna said. “You’ll retrieve Elijah and Bramble, and we’ll prepare for the fallout.”

I stared at her. “What do you mean?”

Anna met my gaze. “Oh, Cora, you don’t think getting Elijah and Bramble back will be the end of things, do you?”

Obviously not. Get with the program, Cor. “They’ll come for me regardless.”

“They gave her six weeks,” Sloane said. “She still has two left. They gave the deadline for a reason. They probably aren’t strong enough to attack until that time.”

“And we need to make the most of that time,” Anna said. “We have no way to kill them, but we haven’t been idle. We have an advantage because the Sons of Adam are creatures of the night, so Bador and the gargoyles will be on hand to protect us.”

Needing the gargoyles might seem like overkill, but with no way to kill these creatures, we’d need to throw everything we had at them to weaken them, slow them down, and maybe allow us an advantage.

“We have stronger wards we can activate in a few days,” Anna continued, “courtesy of the sisters. They also offered to give you refuge—”

“No,” Sloane cut in.

Anna’s smile was terse. “Yes, I declined their offer in light of what happened the last time you visited.”

Conah frowned down at me with a question in his eyes.

I shrugged. “Meh, they may have considered holding me hostage to feed off my power, you know, for infinity. Nothing too horrific.” I smiled wryly.

“Why didn’t you tell me this?” Jasper demanded.

“Focus, guys,” Sloane snapped. “Anna, what’s the alternative?”

Anna offered us a close-lipped smile. “Cora’s wolves will take her away for a few days. There are several safe houses across the country. The Sons of Adam won’t be able to find her, and I doubt they’re at full strength to go chasing after her.”

It sounded like a plan. Being with Tor, Leif, and Rune would take the edge off. I nodded. “Okay, let’s do this.” I locked gazes with Anna. “Now will you tell us where in the world they are?”

Anna sighed. “Barrow. They’re in Barrow, Alaska.”

Sloane headed for the door. “I’ll gather supplies.”

* * *

I huggedthe phone to my ear, my back to the vast library as Tor’s gravelly tone teased my senses.

“Come home soon,” he said. “Leif’s making lasagna and Rune’s picked out a movie. I’ll run you a bath.”

“It’s almost eleven in the evening, Tor.”

“So? You know we keep our own hours. You need a soak and food, and then you can curl up on the sofa with us and fall asleep to whatever flick Rune’s picked out.”

I stifled a snort. Rune had an eclectic taste in movies, so it was always a surprise when he picked, and the picture Tor was painting sounded wonderful. If only danger wasn’t hovering in the background. Still, I couldn’t do anything more about Elijah and Bramble right now. It was going to be a waiting game for me.

I hated waiting. “I’ll be home soon.”

“And Cora, tell Jasper…tell him thank you.”

I nodded and then remembered he couldn’t see me. “I will.” I blew a kiss down the phone on impulse, then hung up quickly, suddenly embarrassed. Which was ridiculous, because blowing kisses was nothing compared to the other intimate moments we’d shared, but it was another level of intimacy, a confidence and playfulness that came with time. I wasn’t sure we were there yet.

I tucked the phone into my pocket, making a mental note to deliver Tor’s message to Jasper.

He was grateful I’d been talked out of going after Elijah, because if I’d gone, my mates wouldn’t have been able to come with me, not without leaving their packs vulnerable. They needed to stay close to home, especially now that the Order had taken an interest in the wolves. We still didn’t know where the missing female dire wolves were, or if the Order would attack again, and the varga…That shit was up in the air too. Tor had told me what Dayna, the varga female, had said, insinuating that their actions weren’t in their control.

The information put everything into question. But one thing was certain: the varga would attack again, and the dire wolves needed to be ready to counter.

“Is everything okay?” Conah asked.

I turned to face him with a smile. “Yeah, fine.”

He was crouched on the floor beside Wren, or what was visible of Wren, which wasn’t much.

I joined him, taking in the cocooned figure of my little fae friend. The threads completely encased his body now, leaving not even a paw to hold onto.

“How much longer?”

“A few days.” Conah stood. “I’ll be back before he emerges.”

“You better be.” My stomach trembled. “Fuck…Fee won’t like this, Con.”

He frowned. “Won’t like me helping you?”

“This is dangerous.” I scanned his handsome face for signs of doubt.

“I’ve been in some pretty dicey situations,” Conah said. “This is no different.”

I arched a skeptical brow. “Everything else you went up against could be killed.”

“Agreed, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be hurt or slowed down. They’re not at full strength or they would have come for you by now.”

Yeah, yeah, I knew that, and in honesty this wasn’t about that. It was about him and Fee, and the fact that even though they weren’t together, I still saw him as her guy. I didn’t have the right to ask him to do this for me. I needed to give him an out.

I opened my mouth to do just that, but he cut me off.

“You’re right, Fee would be pissed, but only if I didn’t help. It’s what we do, Cora. You know this.”

Urgh. Okay, so he had a point. “Still, I’d feel better if she knew what you were about to do.”

He looked down for a beat, shoulders rising and falling. “I’m not one of Fee’s guys, Cora. We’re friends, and that’s all. She doesn’t get to decide what I can and can’t do.”

See, I wasn’t so sure about that. The way those two had felt about each other…that shit didn’t just evaporate.

I studied his aquiline profile. “You were in love with her, Con. That doesn’t just go away.”

He smiled wryly. “You’d be surprised how guilt and grief can change a person. I’m not the same demon I used to be, but you’re right, I do still love Fee. Only now my love is platonic, and she feels the same way. We’re friends, and that works for us.”

She’d said the same thing when I’d brought it up with her almost a year ago, but I found it hard to believe. I’d seen them together. Seen the pain of separation and everything in between.

Maybe I was a closet romantic, but love stories shouldn’t end like this. Still, real life was a bitch, eager to place people onto paths that forced them apart. Maybe the time for romance had passed for Fee and Conah. Maybe they had missed their moment. It didn’t mean she didn’t care about him, or that she wouldn’t be worried if she knew what he was about to do.

“Fee wouldn’t want you rushing off and getting killed.”

He chuckled. “She’d probably insist on coming with me.”

Damn, she totally would. Heck, she could be in danger right now in the Underealm, for all I knew. Cue the panic.

“Don’t,” Conah said softly. “You can’t be there for everyone, Cora.”

“Pfft. I don’t intend to be.”

He gave me a knowing look. “We’ll transfer Wren to a secure location when I get back in preparation for his emergence.”

I nodded and stroked the silver threads that covered Wren’s head. “He’s going to be okay.”

But I wasn’t in control, and I wasn’t sure about anything right now.

The hairs on my nape stood to attention and Jasper materialized in front of us. “Sloane wants to see—”

He vanished.

I stared at the spot where he’d just been, foreboding crawling across my scalp. Jasper vanishing was no new thing, and up until now I’d always assumed it was deliberate on his part, but this…this wasn’t deliberate.

Where the fuck had he gone?